


it's the ones we love (that hurt us the most)

by justromandaydreams



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Number Five | The Boy Deserves Better, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, look I'm just emotional about season 2, please put this child in therapy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26149594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justromandaydreams/pseuds/justromandaydreams
Summary: Six times the Hargreeve siblings hurt Five and one time when they saved him from himself.
Comments: 19
Kudos: 233





	it's the ones we love (that hurt us the most)

**Number One: Luther**

There were times Luther almost admired how good Five was at getting under people’s skin. Now was _not_ one of those times. He and Five are currently standing on one of the Academy’s many staircases in a heated argument over, what else, but Reginald Hargreeves’ parenting decisions.

“Dad’s dead Luther. So please get over your infantile Daddy issues. He never cared about any of us!”

“Easy for you to say. Dad always liked your power best.”

Luther is aware he sounds like a moody teenager, but he didn’t really care. It was true. Reginald always spent just that little bit more time with Five. He’d called it ‘specialized training’ and would take the teleporter once a week to an undisclosed location in the academy, although occasionally the two would go somewhere outside of the academy. Five had always seemed particularly sullen before one of those excursions. Luther was never sure why. Not only did Five get extra time with Dad bit he also got to leave the academy. Lucky little shit. Vanya and Ben had always worried over Five. Staying up until he returned, waiting with a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich. Luther thought they were overreacting. But then again he’d never actually seen what Five’s training entailed.

“Really. You should be grateful he wanted to spend more time with you.”

A thick silence hangs in the air between the two of them before Five finally breaks the tension, his voice an enraged whisper. 

“You think that made my life easier Number One? It wasn’t some father-son bonding experience. I was his favorite toy that he took pleasure in breaking. He’d force me to-“ Five trails off, momentarily lost in thought.

“I mean really I’m shocked.” Five takes on a particularly cruel tone his eyes glinting brightly, and Luther suddenly realizes where his brother is heading with his next barb. “I thought you’d understand what feeling less than human feels like.”

Luther growls, one large hand gripping Five’s sweater. “I’m warning you Five…”

His brother smirks, seemingly unperturbed by Luther’s threat “But dear old dad always was fond of apes.”

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up!” Luther lifts Five up, slamming him into the wall, hard enough for his brother’s head to bounce.

Five lets out a low moan of pain. He’d forgotten how strong Luther could be. Especially when he was angry.

“Get your monkey paws off me, you great baboo-“

The sound of skin hitting skin precedes the pain by mere seconds. It feels like he’s just been smashed in the face by a brick. Five has just enough time to let out an embarrassingly high-pitched yelp of pain before the world goes dark and he collapses.

Luther looks down at the pitiful pile of a crumpled thirteen-year-old, shocked. Five’s dark hair obscures what Luther desperately hopes is just a nasty bruise and not a shattered cheek bone. He’d lost control—hadn’t even realized he’d lashed out. Exactly what Dad had always warned him about. And Five, always the smallest of them all, had suffered the consequences.

With excruciating care Luther scoops Five up off the ground and carries the boy up to his room. He deposits his brother on the bed, shame causing his hands to tremble. Five doesn’t wake but he curls inward slightly, the move only making him look even younger.

Luther briefly considers leaving a note but instead skulks away, feeling very much the child Five had compared him to. He has no idea how he was going to look his brother in the eye anytime soon.

He needn’t have worried. Five wants nothing to do with him for the next week. Anytime Luther came into the room Five would jump away. The situation continues for the better part of a week until Luther stumbles on Five making a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich in the kitchen. His little brother’s assassin senses must be getting dull because Five doesn’t seem to register Luther’s arrival. A suspicion proven to be right as soon Five turns around and locks eyes with Luther. His brother freezes, eyes widening.

“Five...”. Luther starts out, taking a step towards his brother.

To his horror, Five flinches and immediately jumps out of the kitchen, his peanut butter and marshmallow concoction falling to the ground.

Luther stares at that sandwich for a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter should be up soon. This is my first fic for TUA fandom so I'd love to know your thoughts!  
> xx


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